A Simple Fairytale
by hipotamus
Summary: Oneshot. Lily Potter tells her son a bedtime story of a beautiful princess on a quest to marry a handsome prince. But when she falls in love, she discovers something unexpected. Short, sweet, and fluffy. LJ


**AN:** Hello! Ok, yes I know, I should be updating my other stories, but this little ficcy popped into my head as I was reading a bedtime story. I think it's quite sweet and fluffy, and I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Not mine and all that jazz...

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Lily Potter sighed contentedly as she sat heavily in an old creaking rocking chair, her young son cradled in her arms. Brushing her lips across his already thick mop of untidy black hair, she murmured quiet words only he could hear. The young boy gurgled his happiness and grabbed a thick lock of dark red hair in his pudgy hand.

"Let go of Mummy's hair, darling," Lily said, carefully prying the strands out of her son's fingers. Harry did as he was told and clapped his hands together and giggled. "How about a story before bed, hey?" she asked softly. In response, he snuggled his head into his mother's chest and sat quietly.

"Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, there lived a princess, who believed herself to be the most beautiful in the whole of England," Lily began, her voice soft and melodic, rising and falling in a calming rhythm. "She was as happy as could be, living in a beautiful old castle, overlooking acres and acres of grounds and a crystal clear lake. In fact, this princess was so happy, and believed she was so beautiful, she thought her life could get no better. For years she lived as she was, never questioning herself or her purpose in life." Lily paused and took a deep breath, kissing the top of Harry's head yet again.

"But soon the princess realised that something was missing. She had been so preoccupied with her life in the castle, that she didn't notice her heart wasn't happy. Soon, the princess began to question what she was missing – after all, she had many friends, was very clever, and had a lovely home. What more could she ask for?"

Harry breathed in deeply, and tucked his head in deeper against his mother's warm body.

"Then one day, the princess realised what she was missing – a handsome prince. Although she had a lovely life, the princess was lonely, and so, on one fine summer's day, she set out on a quest to find her perfect prince. Now, the princess didn't know much about princes. She wanted a man who was kind, loyal, and handsome, but as she ventured on her quest, she found no one who matched this description. In fact, all the princes she met were rude, unkind, and nasty.

"Then, one day when the princess was feeling rather forlorn and sitting on the edge of a beautiful lake, a rather ugly frog hopped up to her. He was green and slimy, and covered in lots of horrible warts. 'Why are you crying?' asked the frog. The princess replied, 'I am crying because I cannot find a prince to love. I will end up an old spinster.' The frog smiled smugly and shook his head. 'You will not be a spinster,' he said. 'You can marry me. I am handsome, kind, and loyal.' The princess, however was not impressed."

Lily paused, smiling into the distance as though seeing the scene before her own eyes. "The princess continued on her quest for many years, meeting prince after prince, yet finding none of them desirable. Throughout her long journey, the arrogant warty frog stayed by her side, travelling with her. Even in her worst tempers and sullenest moods, he did not leave her side, and continuously asked her to marry him, but she rejected him each time because he was a frog . Slowly, the princess became accustomed to his company and strange sense of humour. She even began to enjoy their long talks and heated arguments. Not once did the frog let her forget that she was perfect – too good for any of those common princes."

Lily smiled happily to herself, seemingly unaware that her own little prince was now breathing deeply in her arms, his eyes closed, his grip on her fingers slack. "After many years together, the princess finally turned to the frog and said, 'My dear frog, why can't you be a prince? If you were a prince, I might just marry you.' The frog smiled froggily up at her and replied, 'But my dear princess, do you not know the stories? If the princess is truly in love with her frog, then she may kiss him, and he will turn into a handsome prince.' The princess looked at the frog for a few moments, and realised that she did in fact love him; very much. So she closed her eyes and kissed him softly on the top of his warty little head. With an excited breath, the princess opened her eyes, eager to see what awaited her. But she was to be disappointed – the frog still stood in front of her, but he was smiling now. 'It didn't work!' wailed the princess. 'You are still a frog. How am I to marry you if you are a frog?'"

Lily stood, her sleeping son nestled in her arms. Very gently she laid him in his cot and kissed the top of his head. "The frog waved at the lake they were sitting next to. 'Look into the water,' he said to her. The princess did as she was told, and gasped to find an equally warty frog looking back at her. 'Why didn't you tell me?" the princess frog asked, feeling deceived. 'Why didn't you tell me that I am a frog as well?' The frog simply smiled at her and said, 'Because you are a beautiful princess who fell in love with a warty frog, because she saw the prince in him just as she saw the princess in herself.'"

A small cough from the door made Lily spin around. James Potter stood there, leaning his tall frame against the doorway, a smile playing on his thin lips, his hazel eyes twinkling happily. "I object to the warty part of the description," he commented, his voice laced with laughter. "I'll have you know there are many females who find me rather attractive."

"And who said the story was about you?" Lily smiled sheepishly and crossed her arms across her chest, leaning carefully on Harry's crib and gazing up at her husband, who removed himself from the doorway and crossed to her in two long strides. Gathering her up in his arms, he held her tightly, his face buried in her thick red hair. Lily finally extracted herself from James' hug and pulled a blanket over her sleeping son, leaning over and kissing his forehead yet again. She then stood and kissed James, finally breaking away to say, "My two beautiful princes."

"And my beautiful princess."

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Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed. I love reviews so if you have two seconds, just click on that little blue button down there and to the left. xx 


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